The Vancouver Canucks have lost five straight games, seven of their last ten, are battered by injury and have their season slipping away before their eyes. The Olympic break, at the very least should provide time for their injured to recover so they can return, if not when the break ends, then soon after.

But a break is only a rest when said player actually sits out.

And so we come to Canucks captain Henrik Sedin, who has been dealing with a rib injury that brought his consecutive games streak to an end a few weeks ago. Rest has helped Sedin, but not enough to get him back to full strength. After a pair of point-less performances, Canucks coach John Tortorella announced Thursday Sedin will miss the Canucks' final two games before the Olympic break.

As for the Olympics themselves, NHL.com quotes Torts as deferring to Sedin, though he hopes Henrik misses the games, which is about all you can expect from a coach in the midst of a down year talking about arguably his best player.

It’s a brutal decision for Sedin. At age 33, this could be his last Olympics. At the very least, it is likely the last one he’ll participate in where he’s the Henrik Sedin we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. And who is to say that another week of rest wouldn’t be enough to get Sedin to where he needs to be to be a solid contributor for Sweden?

On the other hand, if he doesn’t recover fully, then Sedin won’t be the same asset to Sweden’s chances. The rest of the NHL season also has to be factored in. Sedin is the captain for a team that will be a serious risk to miss the postseason, even if he returns at full strength once the break is finished. If this injury lingers, Vancouver’s road gets even tougher. And it’s severe enough where a team as desperate as the Canucks is willing to give up on playing their captain for two games.

It’s the classic case of club or country and it will be hard to fault Sedin no matter what he eventually decides.